Pop-up traffic sentinal



J1me 1969 J. w. BOWERSOX 3,

POP-UP TRAFFIC SENTINAL Filed April 24, 1967 Sheet of 2 INVENTOR June 3, 1969 J. w. BOWERSOX POP-UP TRAFFIC SENTINAL Z of 2 Sheet Filed April 24, 1967 vsepfi Wa /Z220 United States Patent O US. Cl. 941.5 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Trafiic cones are provided with flexible walled ring corrugations so that the cones will collapse or extend when the air pressure inside thereof is either negative or positive, respectfully. Each of such cones is provided with a receptacle within which it can collapse, and several of such receptacles are located below and flush with the surface of a roadway, and are connected at spaced apart locations to a common air conduit having reversibly connected thereto an air pump.

Background of the invention In the prior art there are many devices for the control of traffic embodying the moving of continuous barrier strips between depressed and elevated positions with respect to a highway surface, and the moving of individual markers between such positions. However, such devices have been actuated by various types of jacks and controls therefor that constitute expensive and complicated mechanisms. Further, such prior art systems have been easily damaged by parts thereof being contacted by highway vehicles and by severe weather conditions.

Thus it is an object of the present invention to construct a marker as well as a system for actuating a plurality of such markers to move them between depressed and elevated positions with respect to a highway surface, that are simple in construction and operation, that are relatively inexpensive to install and maintain, and that are not easily damaged by weather conditions or by contact with vehicular trafiic.

Summary of the invention The above mentioned defects of the prior art trafi'ic control devices are remedied and the above objects achieved by: First, constructing a traflic control cone, or marker, so that the sides of the cone are corrugated annularly to, in effect, shape the cone as a bellows that is thin walled and flexible enough that reducing the pressure inside thereof slightly below atmospheric will cause the cone to collapse downward and to extend upward when the interior pressure is slightly above atmospheric. Second, by sinking a cup in the pavement of a highway with the rim of the cup flush with the surface ofsuch pavement and securing the bottom edge of the cone inside of the cup adjacent the rim thereof. Third, so setting a plurality of such cups and cones in a pavement in desired locations and connecting them to an air conduit having in communication therewith an air pump that upon proper operation will provide the desired air pressure in each of the cones of the plurality connected thereto. And, fourth, the provision of a valve structure at the upper end of each cone so that if a cone is struck by a vehicle or other object, the air in such struck cone will easily and rapidly escape therefrom to reduce the possibility of damage thereto.

Brief description of the d'rawings An embodiment of the invention as outlined above is hereinafter described with more details important to the invention and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

3,447,429 Patented June 3, 1969 FIGURE 1 is a schematic isometric showing of portions of a trafiic control system embodying the features of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a diametrical sectional elevational view of one of the individual pop-up cones and its receptacle as shown in FIGURE 1, but enlarged therefrom, and with the cone expanded.

FIGURE 3 is similar to FIGURE 2 but with the cone retracted into its base cup.

FIGURE 4 is an isometric view of the spring in the cones upper end valve.

Description of the preferred embodiment One of the pop-up units will be described in detail before describing the relating features of a plurality of such units as illustrated in the schematic perspective of FIGURE 1.

FIGURES 2 and 3 are diametrical sectional elevational views of a unit 11 with the views differing in that FIG- URE 2 shows the cone 12 of the unit in its extended position and FIGURE 3 shows the cone 12 in its retracted position. Each of the cones is tapered from bottom to top end and is formed between its ends by a continuous series of annular corrugations, or rings 13, with each ring being smaller in diameter than the one below to give the cone a bellows like construction. The purpose of tapering the cone is to increase its rigidity when extended and facilitate its retraction, or collapse and the smaller rings to pass thru the larger rings to the position of the cone in FIGURE 3. Further, the bellows construction resists the tendency of the sides to move radially inward when the air pressure is reduced inside of the cone.

The cone adjacent its upper end has two opposite sides thereof squeezed together by a flat spring clamp 14 so that there is between the legs of the clamp and the inner sides of the cone a slit 16. FIGURE 4 is a perspective illustration of the clamp in its open and relaxed condition. It is made of a thin strip of spring steel bent medially thereof so that the halves are in opposition but curved outwardly from each other. This outward curve of the legs gives relatively uniform loading along the legs when they are brought together. One of the ends is formed with an inwardly turned hook 17 inside of which the other end is retained to hold the legs together and to clamp the end of the cone shut to form the slit 16 that has a length of about half the perimeter of the upper end of the cone. Once in place, the clamp is held in place by imbedding it in the material forming the cone or by cementing it to the cone. The spring tension closing the slit is such that the slit will open and the legs of the clamp will bow outwardly when the air pressure inside of the cone exceeds a predetermined value, a value slightly above that needed to hold the cone in its extended position. Particularly, it is intended that the clamp and contiguous portions of the cone act as a relief valve so that when the extended cone is struck by the wheel of a highway vehicle the air in the cone will be forced thru the valve to reduce the chance of the cone being ruptured by such Wheel contact therewith.

The lower and large end of the cone is secured to a rigid metallic cup 18 just inside of the lip thereof. The inside diameter of the cup adjacent its lip is substantially the outside diameter of the cone at its lower end so that such end will fit in and con-form to the inside of the cup at its lip, Adjacent the lip the cup is formed interiorly with an annular groove 19. When the cone is collapsed into the cup as shown in FIGURE 3, with the edge of the cone above the cup rim, an expansion ring 21, a snap ring, is placed against the outside of the cone in opposition to the groove 19 to force the opposed portions of the cone into the groove 19 and to retain such portions there and the [rest of the cone with respect thereto whether in the collapsed or extended position. A perforated plate 22 is seated adjacent to but spaced from the bottom of the cup and an air opening 23 to prevent the cone from contracting and sealing off the air supply and exhaust opening 23 formed in the bottom of the cup. This air opening 23 is in communication with a stand pipe 24 leading to an air main, or conduit. The air opening 23 is small to prevent a rush of air, air hammer, from rupturing the cone and to minimize loss of air from the supply system if the cone is ruptured or destroyed. This allows continued operation of a system having many units connected thereto even if some of the cones of the units are ruptured.

It is intended that each of the cups 18 be set into the pavement 27 of a highway or street with the edge of its rim flush with the surface of the pavement. The inside diameter of the cup is about three inches so that if a vehicle wheel passes over the cup there is practically no shock to such wheel.

The schematic isometric illustration of FIGURE 1 shows a section of pavement 27 that has so set therein two lines of such pop-up units 11, each unit with its cup rim flush with the top surface of the pavement. One line of such units has each of its units connected to and in communication by means of its stand pipe 24 with an air main 28, and the units of the other line are similarly connected to another air main 29. Each of these lines of units may be referred to by the number of its air main. The cones of the units in the line 28 are shown in extended position and the units of the line 29 are shown in their retracted condition. The illustration is of only two units of those in each line. The number connected in a line may be any desired amount. The air supply and the size of the air mains will be according to the number of units and line losses.

The outer end of each air main has not been shown but it will be closed. The inner end of each main is connected to and in communication with a three-way valve 32, 33. Each of the valves 32, 33 has a connection to the suction side 34, 35, the low side, of an air pump 36, 37 individual to each valve, and a connection to the pressure side 38, 39, the high side, of the pump individual to a such valve. Operation of a valve selectively puts the related main in communication with either the high side or the low side of the related pump and the side of the pump not in communication with the main in communication with the atmosphere. Thus, with the pumps operating, either main may be selectively under either a negative or'a positive pressure with respect to the atmospheric pressure, and, so, the cones of a line will be either retracted into their cups or extended therefrom, respectively. In the showing of FIGURE 1, the cones of line 28 are extended and the valve 32 is set so that the high side of the pump 36 is in communication with the conduit 38; and the cones of line 29 are retracted with the valve 33 set so that the low side of the pump 37 is in communication with the conduit 29.

If sand or gravel falls into a cup when the cone is retracted, it will be ejected therefrom when the cone is again extended from its cup.

A line of cones may be used as traflic diverters to shift traffic from one lane to another, and such lines may be angled from right to left, or two lines angled to each other in the same lane may be used selectively to, at different times, divert traific in different directions. One line of parallel lines of cones between traffic lanes may be used to mark the division between on-coming trafiic, the marking line being the only line having its cones extended, and the marking line being selective between the parallel lines of cones. Closely spaced cones in a line across and normal to a trafiic lane may be used as barriers to give emergency vehicles a right-of-way or to create a pedestrian crosswalk.

Having thus described my invention, its construction, operation, and some of its uses, I claim:

1. A pop-up highway marker, comprising: a thin elastic walled flexible tubular member open at one end and closed at the other, said member being flexible enough so that a small negative air pressure below atmospheric pressure inside of said member will cause it to collapse axially thereof and to turn outside in and said member being flexible enough so that a small air pressure above atmospheric inside of said member will cause said member, when collapsed, to turn inside out and to extend axially thereof, said member, when so extended, being extended above the surface of a highway to be marked by such marker, and said extension above such highway surface being the above highway visible portion of the marker.

2. The combination of claim 1 including a valve closing said closed end of said member.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which the walls of said member are corrugated annularly.

4. In combination with the member of claim 1, a cup, means securing said member and said cup coaxially together with the portions of the member adjacent the open end thereof sealed to said cup interjacent its lip, and said cup being formed with an air passageway thru a wall thereof; said member, cup, and securing means constituting a marker unit.

5. The combination of claim 4 in which the Walls of said member are corrugated annularly.

6. The combination of a plurality of such units as set forth in claim 4 arranged in a desired spaced relationship to each other, an air conduit, means specific to each of said units connecting a such unit to said conduit and establishing communication with said conduit and said air passageway of a such unit, and an air pump in communication with said conduit and adapted to establish an air pressure therein other than atmospheric pressure.

7. The combination of claim 6 in which the walls of said member are corrugated annularly.

8. The combination of claim 6 including a section of highway pavement and the lips of such cups being flush with the surface of such pavement.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,229,075 1/1941 Haggart 941.5 X 2,259,610 10/1941 Bryson 941.5 2,819,547 1/1958 Clements 941.5 X 3,086,430 4/1963 Emmel 94--l.5 X

NILE C. BYERS, JR., Primary Examiner. 

